Door-controlling means.



H. G. VOIGHT. DOOR CONTROLLING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1912.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

INVEA/TUR my ATTORNEYS 6. rfo/c/ r WITNESSES COLUMIHA I'LANOGMAIII c0 WASHINOTUN 1L c.

HENRY G. VOIGI-IT, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

DOOR-CONTROLLING MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

Application filed May 28, 1912. Serial No. 700,183.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY G. Voionr, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, Hartford county, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Controlling Means, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to controlling means for sliding doors, and is particularly directed to improved means whereby the door may be closed and automatically locked against opening movement, and whereby the door may be independently unlocked and opened.

In my pending application, Serial No. 690,382, I have shown and described a door controlling mechanism in which a power closer cylinder is mounted on a door casing, toggle lever connections extending between said power cylinder and the door, and a locking device being mounted on the door and connected to a toggle lever member so that when the door is closed through the action of the power cylinder applied through the toggle lever connections, these connections are locked against door opening movement, but may be unlocked and the door opened by manual operation of the locking device. The toggle lever connections shown in said application are of the bent toggle type and are not horizontal or in longitudinal alinement when the toggle is straightened out or distended as con trasted with being broken or flexed. This toggle, however, owing to its bent form, permits some lost motion after the door has been closed, and it is one of the objects of the present invention to obviate this lost motion and to hold the door rigidly in its closed position. I accomplish this end by modifying the lever components and arranging the levers as a straight or horizontal toggle so that when distended by the closin of the door, they will extend horizontal ant in longitudinal alinement and will automatically lock themselves against opening movement when so positioned. In conjunction with this locking toggle, I employ independently operable means for breaking the lock of the toggle levers and for open ing the door, which means may take the form of an auxiliary locking device coeperating with the toggle.

To this end my invention consists in the following combinations of structure, a preferable embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the invention as applied to a sliding door. Fig. 2 is a vow in elevation on an enlarged scale of the forward end of the toggle lever connected to the forward edge of the door and provided with auxiliary locking and unlocking mechanism. Fig. 3 is an end view, partly in section, of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view illustrating a modification of the toggle lock breaking and door opening means.

Referring to the drawings by numerals: 1 indicates a door of the sliding type and 2 a door casing.

3 is a bracket mounted upon thedoor casing, and 4 a power closer cylinder pivotally mounted at its lower end on said bracket. Levers 5 and G are pivotally connected to each other at their adjacent ends, lever member (3 at its rear end being pivotally mounted in the bracket 3 and having a transverse arm 7 extending therefrom and pivotally connected to the piston 8 of the power closer cylinder 4. Lever member 5 at its forward end is pivotally mounted at 9 upon a door plate 10 and is secured by suitable screws, or other means, to the forward edge of the sliding door 1. This plate, adjacent its upper end, is formed with a hub or boss 11 having a central aperture 12 extending therethrough and through the plate, this aperture at the outer end of the hub being enlarged to form an annular shoulder 13, and the rear face of the plate being recessed to provide a second annular shoulder 14 forming a continuation and enlargement of the aperture 12. An operating lever 15 having its lower end offset to form a handle 15 is provided adjacent its upper end with a pivot stud 16 adapted to be inserted through the aperture in the hub or boss 11. An internally threaded bearing washer 14, seated within the recess 14, bears against the shoulder formed thereby and against the outer face of the door. The pivot stud 16, carried by the operating lever 15, is provided with a collar 17 fitting within the annular shoulder 13 havinga reduced extension or shoulder 18 fitting within the aperture 12 of the hub. From. the shoulder 18, the stud is reduced in diameter and extends outwardly, being provided with a threaded portion 19 adjacent the shoulder 18 and positioned to engage the threaded bearing washer 14*. At its extremity the pivot stud 16 is provided with a squared end 20, the door 1 being provided with a suitable bore through which said stud extends and being recessed in its opposite face to receive a socket plate 20 which serves to inclose the squared end of the pivot stud. The purpose of this squared end of the pivot stud is to enable the operating lever 15 to be actuated from the oppositeside of the door, as will be more clearly seen hereafter.

WVith the structure thus far described, the operation of the apparatus is as follows: The power in cylinder 1 normally tends, through piston rod 8 and connecting arm 7, to dist-end the toggle levers 5 and 6 and straighten out the toggle, and through this action, move the door toward closed position. The lever members 5 and 6 are so proportioned that when the door reaches fully closed position, they will be exactly horizontal and in longitudinal 'alinement.

I This, therefore,affords a dead center look so that the levers are automatically positioned by the closing of the door to lock themselves against door openingmovement. There canbe no lost motion in this case on account of the dead center lock and the door will be firmly maintained in its closed position. In order to open the door, therefore. this straight toggle lock must be first broken and then power applied in opposition to and greater than that of the power cylinder so that the door may be moved away from closed position. To effect this breaking of the toggle lock, the following mechanism may be employed. A link member 22 is journaled upon the collar 17 of the lever stud 16 and rests bet-ween the inner face of the lever and the outer face of the hub or boss 11. A second link member 23 is pivotally connected to the free end of the link 22 at 24, and at 25 is pivotally connected to the toggle lever member 5 adjacent its forward end, these two links forming, in effect, a toggle. The operating lever 15 adjacent its upper end is provided with a projecting arm or stud 26 lying in the plane of link 22. At its lower end, the door plate 10 is provided with spaced abutment studs 27 and 28 which are positioned in the path of movement of the lower end of the operating lever 15. When the door is moved to closed position by the force of the power cylinder and through the toggle lever connections, this toggle lever is straightened out in hori zontal longitudinal alinement, as hereinbefore described, locking itself and the door against opening movement. This action on the part of the toggle levers, and particularly on the part of lever member 5, effects a straightening out of the toggle links 22 and 23 so that these may be utilized as a locking means auxiliary to the locking action of the toggle levers 5 and 6, although they are not absolutely essential as the toggle levers effectively perform this function themselves.

lVith the door closed as just described, opening is accomplished as follows: The opcrating lever 15, through its handle 15 is moved from the left, as shown in Fig. 2, toward the right, this movement being independent of the door and levers 5 and 6. This motion. will bring the arm or stud 16 against the link 22, breaking the toggle lock of these links and breaking the lock of the toggle levers 5 and 6. By the time this has been accomplished, the lower end of the operating lever will have reached and contacted with the abutment stud 28. Upon the application of further force or pulling action upon the operating lever, the door may now be opened against the force of the power cylinder, this being permitted by the leverage secured through the transverse arm 7 the toggle levers 5 and 6, as they have had their lock broken, moving up as the door is moved away from closed postion (see Fig.

1.) To close the door, it is only necessary to release the operating lever 15, whereupon the power cylinder will move the lever members 5 and 6 downwardly and straighten them out in horizontal alined position to again lock the door closed. As this is being done, the links 22 and 23 will be straight ened out, as before described. The operating lever will swing downwardly by gravity until it rests against the abutment stud 27, from which position it is moved to open the door, as has been heretofore described.

In Fig. 4: 1 have illustrated a modification of the toggle lock breaking means. 5 and 6 designate the lever members forming the locking toggle, which members are actuated through the power of the closer cylind'er in the manner hereinbefore described. The forward end of the toggle lever 5 is jonrnaled upon the pivot stud 30 of the operating lever 29, this pivot stud being journaled in a hub plate 31. The operating lever 29, at its lower end, is provided with an offset handle portion 29 and with a transversely extending arm 32 provided with a shouldered portion 33 positioned to lie adjacent the lower edge of toggle lever member 5 An abutment plate 3 1 is mounted upon the forward edge of the door in vertical alinement preferably with the hub plate 31 and is provided with abutment studs 35 and 36 lying in the path of movement of the lower end of the operating lever 29.

When the dooris closed, the parts are in the tive to the door and levers 5 and 6, bringing its shoulder 33 against the under side of toggle lever member 5 and breaking the dead center lock of the toggle. By this time, the edge of the operating lever will have contacted with the abutment stud 36 and upon the application of further force, the door may be moved open against the force of the power cylinder in the manner hercinbefore described.

From the foregoing, I believe the opera tion and advantages of my improved door controlling mechanism will be clearly understood. I have described and illustrated a preferable embodiment of the invention, but it is, of course, understood that the same may be structurally modified within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination. of a sliding door, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the door is closed to thereby lock the door against opening movement, an operating handle carried by the door and having a limited free movement relative thereto, and means whereby a continuous movement of said handle in the same direction operates to break said toggle lock and to open said door.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a sliding door, a sta tionary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the door is closed to thereby lock the door against opening movement, closing mechanism for said door operatively connected with said toggle lever and normally tending to move the latter in a direction to move said door into closed position, an operating handle carried by the door and having a limited free movement relative thereto, and means whereby a continuous movement of said handle in the same direction operates to break said toggle lock and to open said door against the force of said closing means.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a sliding door, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the door is closed to thereby lock the door against opening movement, closing mechanism for said door operatively connected with said toggle lever and normally tending to move the latter in a direction to move said door into closed position, toggle unlocking means carried by said door, an operating handle carried by said door independently of said unlocking means and in operative relation thereto, and having a limited independent movement relative to said. door, and means whereby said limited movement of said handle actuatcs said unlocking means to break said toggle lock n'eparatory to opening the door, and whereby a further and continued movement of said handle in the same direction operates to move said door to open position against the force of said closing mechanism.

41. T11 a device of the character described, the combination of a sliding door, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between saiddoor and abutment adapted to be str: ightened when the door is closed to thereby lock the door against opening movement, closing mechanism for said door operatively connected with said toggle lever and normally tending to move the latter in a direction to move said door into closed position, toggle unlocking means carried by said door, an operating handle carried by said door in operative relation with said unlocking means, and having a limited independent movement relative to said door, an abutment positioned on said door to be engaged by and limit the independent movement of said handle, and means whereby a preliminary movement of said handle relative to said door and in the direction of its opening breaks said toggle lock preparatory to opening the door, and whereby a further and continued movement of said operating handle in the same direction operates to open said door against the force of said closing means.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a sliding door, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the door is closed to thereby lock said door against opening movement, closing mechanism for said door opcratively connected with said toggle lever to move the latter in a direction to move said door into closed position, means carried by said. door and operatively connected with said toggle adapted to be positioned thereby upon the closing movement of the door to form an auxiliary lock against door opening movement on the part of said toggle, an operating handle carried by the door having a limited independent movement relative thereto and adapted to be moved relative to said door to inoperatively position said auxiliary locking means and to break said toggle lock preparatory to opening the door.

(3. In a device of the character described, the combination oi a sliding door, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be st 'aightened when the door is closed to thereby lock said door against opening movement, closing mechanism for said door operatively connected with said toggle lever to move the latter in a direction to move said door into closed position, an auxiliary ent movement thereof, to move said auxiliary toggle into inoperative locking position and to break the look of said main toggle, and an abutment positioned on said door to be engaged by said operating handleat the end of such independent movement thereof whereby said handle may be further actuated to open said door.

HENRY G. VOIGHT.

Witnesses GWEND LINE A. JAoKsoN, M. S. WLARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

DISCLAIMER.

1,010,969. Jimmy G. Wright, New Britain, Conn. DOOR-CONTROLLT.\'G MEANS.

Patent dated October 8, L912. Disclaimer filed l ebruary 13, 19H, by the patentee.

Enters this disclaimer- To claims 1 and 2 of the aforesaid Letters Patent, which claims read as follows:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a sliding door, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the door is closed to thereby lock the door against opening movement, an operating handle carried by the door and having a limited free movement relative thereto, and means whereby a continuous movement 01 said handle in the same direction operates to break said toggle lock and to open said door.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a sliding door, a stationary abutment, a toggle lever connection between said door and abutment adapted to be straightened when the door is closed to thereby lock the door against opening movement, closing mechanism for said door operativcly connected with said toggle lever and normally tending to move the latter in a direction to move said door into closed position, an operating handle carried by the door and having a limited free movement relative thereto, and means whereby a continuous movement of said handle in the same direction operates to break said toggle lock and to open said door against the force of said closing means. 

